Derry Young Socialists

Unionists show they can only rule “through barrel of a gun”

(SW, 21 August 1969)

The following leaflet has been issued by Derry Young Socialists.

The confrontation in William Street on August 12 between the young workers of Derry and the armed thugs of the RUC was an historic moment. It marked the beginning of the end for the Stormont regime. After 50 hours of continuous street fighting, the joint attacks of the RUC, the B-Specials and other non-uniformed Paisleyites were repulsed.

The hirelings of the state became increasingly desperate in their attempts to terrorise the people of Derry into submission. But the indiscriminate use of lethal CS gas, the arson and the wild shootings in the night only served to unite the resistance of the people. Indeed not only was the Bogside defended but the attack was carried to the enemy who was forced to retreat surrounded and beaten to the hole of the Rosemount Barracks.

Clear

The message from the barricades of Berry was clear and in the face of similar provocation our comrades throughout the 6 Counties acted in a similar manner. The nature of Ulster “law” was exposed in all its squalid dirt and the whole-hearted rejection of it was the most positive sign of genuinely responsible progress in Ulster for 50 years. The Unionist dictatorship was openly forced to admit that it could no longer govern, save through the barrel of a of a gun.

Only a united militant opposition to the tyranny of the Unionist jackboot can liberate Ulster from those who would destroy it rather than surrender their privileged power.

Our immediate demands must be:

general amnesty and the release of political prisoners.

repeal of the Special Powers Act.

disbandment of the B-Specials and the disarming of the RUC.

abolition of Stormont.

Without these points being met there can be no moves made towards a solution of Ulster’s basic problems. The apparatus of this police state must be dismantled. Then the deep wounds caused by so many years of Stormont’s rule can be attended to. We can moved forward on a radical programme to solve unemployment, especially west of the Bann, to provide decent and adequate housing for all and massive direct state investment.

Carnage

The deployment of British troops in Ulster provides some sort of security against the lawlessness, of the RUC and B-Specials who are obviously intent on carnage and destruction. But the troops cannot remain for ever and when they go the working people of Ulster must be secure enough to move on to meet the social needs of this area. To do so requires an end to state terror.

There will be no retreat until our demands are met and the working people of Ulster are able to live in a democracy which does not depend on barbed wire, barriers, armoured cars and fascist gunmen.